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DIY Fix for Common WordPress Problems

WordPress has become a widely used
platform for websites by different users online. It is a free, user-friendly,
and responsive platform for online users. It also has an excellent support
feature that helps most of their users in every step of the way. However, WordPress
is still vulnerable to many problems and bugs that even we cannot avoid
experiencing.

As
you read this article, you would have an idea of what are some of the standard
WordPress problems experienced by its users. As much as possible, you should be
also familiar with how you can set up your site from the backend part of the
site. If you do not know about it, you can contact your web developer instead.

Along
with showing the common problems in WordPress, we will also give solutions for
these so that you can solve it immediately!

The White Screen of Death

Most
people see this as a slow loading page, but the white screen of death (WSOD) is
different. This shows no information at all, and you’re stuck with a white
screen on your internet browser. PHP and database errors are manifesting as
white screens.

Here
are some of the causes for a WSOD:

●Exhausted memory

●Incompatible Plugin

●Your website’s theme

Exhausted Memory

Exhausted
memory can cause many errors in your website. It’s always a better solution to
increase the limit of your allocated memory. You can do this by opening your we-config.php., find the main tag then
add this snippet of code:

define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’,
’64M’);

64M
is the standard storage size for most servers in WordPress because it is
server-dependent. You can also go for 96M and even as high as 256M, but 64M is
the safest size for your website.

Plugins

Most
plugins are incompatible to websites, which causes an overall error to your
site. You can avoid this by removing this plugin and finding another one that
is compatible to your site and relatively newer.

If
you can access your site’s dashboard, you can quickly deactivate these plugins
you installed. If you cannot, you can access those using an FTP client. Just
access the plugin folder in wp-content/plugins and rename all plugins folder to
plugins-test. This will disable, not remove, your plugins. From there, you may
now look at each plugin in your folder and rename it to its original name to
check if it is a factor to your site’s problem. You may ask for help from your
web developer if you are not knowledgeable on these processes.

Themes

The
last thing to look at your site is the theme. Make sure that your theme
is coming from a trusted site for themes. Most themes give malware and other
problems to your site.

WSOD
is common for many users who just had a new theme for their site, which turns
out to be also incompatible. You may log in to the administration screens and
activate the default theme. If you can’t do this, you may access your site
using FTP client.

One
solution is deleting your themes folder, but save a backup of your theme folder
first. If it solves your WSOD, check your functions.php file and ask the author
for possible coding problems for your site.

Another
solution is debugging through PHP. You can start by opening your wp-config.php, then search for this
line:

define(‘WP_DEBUG’,
false);

Type
two forward slashes in this line to disable it. After that, paste this code
above the //define(‘WP_DEBUG’,
false); line:

define(‘WP_DEBUG’,
true);

define(‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’,
true);

define(‘WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY’,
false);

@ini_set(‘display_errors’,0);

After
that, it will generate an error log and will show every PHP error in the site.
This will help you in knowing the problem, or you can send this to your developer
for further debugging.

Internal Server Error

Usually
called 500, some processes commonly cause this error in your WordPress
installation. Some of the causes are coming from an exhausted memory,
incompatible plugin, or faulty theme. Besides these, bad .htaccess and error in
establishing database connection are the other common problems to have a 500.

Bad .htaccess

If
your .htaccess is corrupted, it can be the main problem. You can fix this by
accessing your FTP client. You should have enabled hidden files viewing. After
that, search for your .htaccess and change its name to .htaccessTEST.

After
this, go to settings in your WordPress dashboard then go to permalinks and pick
other option from your past choice. This enables you to make a recent version of
the file.

Error Establishing Database Connection

You
would want to know if there has been a change with your database login details.
Corrupted database files can also be a problem caused by a hack attack or just
a defective part of the database. Also, the server of the database can be down
for some reason, since the server for your site and the database is different.
Lastly, too much traffic on your website can make your database unresponsive
due to the high volume of people visiting the site. It can help when your web
hosting service provider can provide support on other devices, not only on the
desktop.

These
are just a few of the common errors experienced by WordPress users, and there
are a lot more problems they can encounter. Fortunately, the WordPress codex is
available for everyone to check with and consult. For preventive measures, we
recommend that you regularly backup your site and seek an expert when dealing
with code-related problems.

If
the problem comes from your theme, it might be easier to find a better theme.
There are a lot of theme providers where you can find easy, fast, and simple
themes for WordPress.

Now
that you’re equipped with the basics, you've got what it takes keeping your
website up and running. You will be well equipped regarding DIY fix for common WordPress problems after reading this article & am sure it will benefit you alot.

About the Author

Kenneth Sytian is a wordpress developer from the Philippines. He has been designing websites and developing web apps for more than a decade. His no-nonsense approach to design coupled with his vast creativity is a winning combination for his clients.

About S.S.QaisraniHi, This is Shahid Saifullah, the owner of BlogLand.info. A passionate boy in blogging. I started BlogLand to serve the new bloggers providing new tips of blogging and SEO. Thank you so much for reading my blog. Be connected with me on Facebook, Twitter and Linked In.